Weird News

Florida might eliminate its 'most corrupt town'

by Kate Seamons, Newser Staff

(NEWSER) – The small town of Hampton, Fla., has caught the attention of state lawmakers—who want to see it dissolved. That's because it's wildly corrupt, per a 42-page state audit of its books released last month, which CNNreports "reads like a primer on municipal malfeasance." The town of 477 people about 20 miles north of the Gainesville essentially functioned as a glorified speed trap, with 17 officers (roughly one per every 25 residents) known for sitting on lawn chairs or taking cover behind recycling bins along a 1,260-foot stretch of well-traveled highway US 301 armed with radar guns. That's not illegal—though AAA has gone so far as to put up billboards warning about it—but from there, things have allegedly taken a turn for the criminal.